Sometimes, it pays to get out of the kitchen. Especially when that means diving into new sights, sounds and flavours. But what exactly is on the menu this year? From the newest Michelin-star dining to foraging for truffles, here are some of the most exciting (and conscious) foodie experiences on offer for 2020 – and the best places to discover them first-hand.
1. Farm-to-table fun
Connecting more closely with where your food has come from is definitely high on the agenda. The thinking behind it is simple: when you’re part of the process of creating what’s on your plate, the experience is so much richer. But farm-to-table fun doesn’t necessarily mean throwing on a pair of muddy wellington boots. It could mean hunting for rare white truffles in the autumnal hills around Piedmont, Italy – and seeing your prize delicately shaved over fresh pasta for dinner at Villa La Madonna.
Plenty of boutique hotels are championing locally-grown produce – and encouraging you to be part of the action. Dig up root vegetables on the organic farm at Castle Hot Springs in Arizona before watching them roast on an open fire.
2. Reach for the Michelin-stars
If you’re more gastronome than green-fingered, you’re in luck: Michelin-star dining will never go out of style. There’s Hotel Único in Madrid, where you can go on an epic culinary voyage made up of multiple “moments.” Its award-winning restaurant also offers a “Petit Menu” at lunch if you’re itching to explore the city’s Golden Mile.
3. Give it the green light
A trend that looks to become a way of life, plant-based eating is becoming easier to take on your travels. Trendy in Sydney is blazing a trail with Australia’s first fully plant-based hotel restaurant, Alibi Bar + Kitchen. While in San Sebastián, Arima Hotel’s Misura restaurant gives you the option of customizing your veggie plates with different treats from the kitchen garden.
Green and ethical tourism go hand in hand – and ticking both boxes is Keemala in Thailand. The resort celebrates Phuket’s 9-day Vegetarian Festival in October, offering guests a low-calorie, ‘healthy living’ menu bursting with Thai flavours year-round. It also adopts a firm position on animal rights, and houses two rescued water buffalo who help keep the hotel’s grass in order.
Latest stories
Savouring the joy of Greek summers on the island of Crete
An immersive Greek getaway uncovers the enduring allure of Crete, an ancient, sun-dappled island in the southern Aegean, where mythic vistas, homegrown gastronomy and traditional crafts still shape everyday life. The feeling that the sea has been waiting for me grows stronger as I round the final bend on the
A look at the most inclusive boutique hotels for Pride Month
Long after Pride Month’s rainbow banners are put away each year, SLH keeps the celebration of the queer community alive. Discover just some of its many inclusive luxury sanctuaries dotted throughout Asia, where travellers can discover best of the local scene right from the doorstep A proud supporter of the
Independent Minds: Amelie and Dominik Posch, eriro
On the slopes of the remote Ehrwalder Alm, some 1,550 metres into the clouds, eriro has just nine rooms for those seeking a quiet refuge from the noise and pace of city life. Encouraging guests to do less rather than more, the hotel offers an opportunity to reconnect with themselves
Our top boutique stays for June
From a baroque waterfront retreat on Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor to a design-led hideaway in Goa and an alpine sanctuary overlooking Lake Tegernsee, these are the hotels we’d like to check into this June
